BANGKOK (AFP) – Thai reformist leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid to become prime minister ended yesterday, despite his party winning the most votes in May elections, after the military and pro-royalist establishment blocked his bid for power.
Pita’s Move Forward Party rode high on the support of young and urban Thais frustrated by nearly a decade of army-backed rule, but its efforts to form a government have stumbled.
The 42-year-old was dramatically suspended from Parliament while seated in the chamber for discussions on his candidacy, which came to an end when lawmakers voted to refuse considering him for a second ballot.
Pita’s suspension came when Thailand’s Consitutional Court said it would proceed with a case that could see the leader disqualified from Parliament altogether for owning shares in a media company.
